Konami has denied claims that Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain's forward operating base (FOB) multiplayer mode would be "restricted behind a microtransaction paywall," as reported by GameSpot earlier today, as "simply not true."
In a statement issued to PC Gamer, the publisher commented:
"GameSpot posted an article following the review that the PVP (FOB) mode in MGSV TPP will be restricted behind a micro-transaction paywall and that is simply not true. The FOB mode will be fully accessible at launch and the micro-transaction layer to that specific feature in the game primarily acts as an accelerator. We’ll have more details at launch, but we did try and clear these rumours up when they started circulating during E3. We even addressed this in our official E3 2015 demo when it went live during that show."
Konami says the game will be fully playable in its entirety without any additional payments.
The Phantom Pain's FOB mode allows users to create forward operating bases, which can then be invaded by other players. You can also invade their bases. It works similarly to games like Watch Dogs and Dark Souls.
The mode shouldn't be confused with the game's Metal Gear Online component, which debuts October 6th on consoles and in January on PC. For more on The Phantom Pain, check out our review roundup here.